The Marrying Kind (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Marrying Kind' (written by Ruth Gordon & Garson Kanin, and directed by George Cukor) is a NY-based dramatic comedy - or - comedic drama; however you want to categorize it. In short, it ain't always funny & it ain't always sad; somewhere in the middle -- more on that later. The film stars America's sweetheart Judy Holliday & new-to-Hollywood Aldo Ray as a lower middle-class NY couple in divorce court. The compassionate judge (Madge Kennedy, a former silent-screen star) has them come into her chambers to hear about their many marriage woes & try to work out a reconcilement.
The insecure, raspy-voiced hubby is Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray), a postal worker, & his motor-mouthed blonde wife Florence (Holliday) is an ex-secretary. Told in a series of flashbacks, the narrative has the couple telling the judge how they met in Central Park, fell in love, had children, but then each one goes on to tell how their marriage turned sour; with each of them unable to overcome life's disappointments & tragedies. By the end, Chet promises to change his grandiose delusions & Florence agrees also to be {or try to be} a better wife. A happy ending may or may not occur {wink wink}.
I enjoyed this movie. I love Judy Holliday; shrill voice & all. Holliday had won the Academy Award 2 yrs. prior and, perhaps, audiences expected the same type of performance. But here, while she still does her ditzy blonde shtick, she also brings some sturdy dramatics. This film showed that she could be a serious actress as well as America's sweetheart. Aldo Ray was brand new to the silver screen, but he acquits himself well, here. The problem that this film faced when it was released was that promos for it maintained a humorous romp type of movie experience when, in reality, it was a fiery drama with light moments infused throughout.
It didn't do all that well at the box office because - while it's actually a decent movie - audiences felt tricked into seeing something different than they'd expected/paid for. On the technical front, the film is solid. Witty dialogue, nice black-&-white cinematography, moves at a good pace, etc. Now, the plight of this couple's marriage-in-crisis could have been more convincing. And some of the proceedings get too mushy & depressing. But as mentioned, the leads provide sensitive performances. And just because audiences couldn't get a grasp of the comedic elements mixed with the bittersweet dramatics doesn't mean it wasn't a quality film.
The insecure, raspy-voiced hubby is Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray), a postal worker, & his motor-mouthed blonde wife Florence (Holliday) is an ex-secretary. Told in a series of flashbacks, the narrative has the couple telling the judge how they met in Central Park, fell in love, had children, but then each one goes on to tell how their marriage turned sour; with each of them unable to overcome life's disappointments & tragedies. By the end, Chet promises to change his grandiose delusions & Florence agrees also to be {or try to be} a better wife. A happy ending may or may not occur {wink wink}.
I enjoyed this movie. I love Judy Holliday; shrill voice & all. Holliday had won the Academy Award 2 yrs. prior and, perhaps, audiences expected the same type of performance. But here, while she still does her ditzy blonde shtick, she also brings some sturdy dramatics. This film showed that she could be a serious actress as well as America's sweetheart. Aldo Ray was brand new to the silver screen, but he acquits himself well, here. The problem that this film faced when it was released was that promos for it maintained a humorous romp type of movie experience when, in reality, it was a fiery drama with light moments infused throughout.
It didn't do all that well at the box office because - while it's actually a decent movie - audiences felt tricked into seeing something different than they'd expected/paid for. On the technical front, the film is solid. Witty dialogue, nice black-&-white cinematography, moves at a good pace, etc. Now, the plight of this couple's marriage-in-crisis could have been more convincing. And some of the proceedings get too mushy & depressing. But as mentioned, the leads provide sensitive performances. And just because audiences couldn't get a grasp of the comedic elements mixed with the bittersweet dramatics doesn't mean it wasn't a quality film.